Chicken Black Bean Enchiladas

This Mexican inspired enchiladais saucy, cheesy and a fun twist on taco Tuesday that will feed your entire family!

I’ve been wanting to create this recipe for years, but to be honest, I have only ever had enchiladas once in my life. So, I was relying purely on instinct when creating this recipe. I knew the basic components that were in this recipe, so how hard could it be, right? Stuffed tortillas, tomato sauce, cheese and toppings, sounds pretty simple! I just had to decide what I wanted to stuff my tortillas with. I decided to go with chicken, cuz when in doubt you pick chicken (haha) and it’s also a great way to use up leftover roasted chicken. And, of course you’ve gotta add some beans, what’s an enchilada without beans?

Enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas and stuffed with a variety of meats, beans, cheese and vegetables, then rolled up and placed in a casserole dish covered with a chili pepper sauce and baked in the oven. I wanted to keep to the traditional recipe as much as possible, and had my heart set on using 100% corn tortillas. I tried making the enchiladas first with corn tortillas, but I found them to be more stiff and hard to roll while keeping all the stuffing inside. The next best option was using spelt and kamut tortillas, which I found at the health food store. These were great – much more forgiving and easy to work with, as they rolled up nicely and tasted delicious. You are welcome to use any flour tortilla that you prefer.

But enough about the stuffing and what tortillas to use. Let’s talk about the sauce!! For me it was all about the sauce! Often times when I’m creating new recipes (especially one I’ve never had before or only had once) I try to imagine the flavours I’m trying to go for and what I need to add to make it taste a certain way. I knew I wanted a deep roasted and spicy flavour, so I decided to go with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I’ve been wanting to use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for a while now, so this was the perfect opportunity! I love the bold and distinct smoky flavour of this sauce. If you’re not familiar with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I highly recommend you give it a try. You can find them in small cans at most grocery stores, or purchase on amazon here.

Surprisingly, this sauce came together perfectly on my first try! Well almost…I did end up adding more broth and tomato paste in the second round, but mostly because I felt like the recipe needed just a little bit more sauce. Some days you nail it on the first try, other days, even on your fourth attempt at a cookie recipe you end up with something that resembles a cookie, but crumbles like dry sand. So I’ll take this win!!

Even though this is a chicken and black bean enchilada, you can easily swap these out for your favourite ingredients, such as ground beef, turkey, or fish. If you’re looking for a vegetarian option you can use grilled tofu or roasted sweet potatoes and swap the black beans for pinto beans. Let me know in the comments below what ingredients you love to use when making your enchiladas.

If you recreate this recipe please share a photo on social media and TAG me @urhealthnut so I can easily find them and like them!

Chicken Black Bean Enchiladas

2018-10-01 12:26:06

Serves 4

This Mexican inspired enchilada is saucy, cheesy and a fun twist on taco Tuesday that will feed your entire family!

In a large pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat and saute the onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the onion powder, cumin, paprika and saute for 30 seconds. Pour in the broth, tomato paste, adobo sauce, maple syrup and add 1 to 2 chipotle peppers (depending on your spice tolerance) and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove sauce from heat and pour into a blender. Blend for about one minute. Pour the sauce back into the pan, and keep on low heat.

In a small bowl, stir the arrowroot powder with 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Add and stir into the rest of the sauce. Cook on medium-low heat for 2 minutes, stirring continuously until sauce thickens.

Assembling

Preheat the oven to 350℉.

Spread one tablespoon sauce at the bottom of a 9 X 13-inch baking sheet.

Set up an assembly station with the tortillas, chicken, beans, cheese and sauce. Lay out tortilla and spread 1 tablespoon sauce over the surface of the tortilla. Add ¼ cup of shredded chicken in a line down the middle of the tortilla, then add 2 tablespoons of black beans and 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour remaining sauce on top of tortillas, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately garnished with fresh cilantro and avocado. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.